Stress Management Relationship Stress How Does Pornography Affect Us? By Margaret Seide, MD Margaret Seide, MD LinkedIn Margaret Seide, MS, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of depression, addiction, and eating disorders. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 16, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Steven Gans, MD Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Print Verywell / Laura Porter The truth is that we do not, at present, have conclusive information on exactly how watching pornography affects an individual or their sexual attitudes. One of the factors needed to see a true cause-effect relationship is time. However, the pervasiveness, ease of access, and frequency of use of pornography are all relatively new. Therefore, researchers cannot observe patterns that occur over time with respect to porn usage. Furthermore, most studies on this topic are based on self-report and subjective interpretation of how pornography affects a person’s life, sexuality, relationships, and body image. Factors like shame, religiosity, or a person’s perception of pornography as wrong will influence someone's report. This creates a challenge in making concrete statements and predictions about how broadly applicable our current body of data actually is. For example, many studies are inconclusive or offer contradicting data regarding how consumption of sexually explicit material affects someone. There is also an incomplete understanding of how adolescents and pre-pubescent individuals exposed to pornography will be affected in adulthood. What is known is that the numbers associated with pornography use and revenue from this industry are nothing short of astronomical. Up to 99% of adult men and up to 80% of students surveyed report having watched pornography at some point. In one study, the average age of first exposure was 14 years, but some students under the age of 12 reported having access to pornography. The commonly used site Pornhub reports 120 million daily visitors. Exactly how much this industry earns is unclear, but revenue is thought to top $100 billion annually. COVID-19 and Pornography Use The coronavirus pandemic changed almost every aspect of our daily lives on a global and granular level, and this includes observable patterns of streaming pornographic videos. For example, Pornhub reported a 24% increase in site traffic between mid-February and mid-March 2020. This included the time during which stay-at-home mandates took effect and reflected the comparison of usage patterns seen in the pre-pandemic period to usage in the pandemic era. This data was collected from 27 countries that had some level of lockdown policy in place. When observations on the frequency of use during particular times of day were made, there was a 31% increase in pornography site traffic at 3 a.m. Also noted was a 26% increase in use at 1 p.m. This raises questions about the use of porn correlating with disruptions in sleep patterns and diminished work productivity. Some of this may reflect boredom or increased access to one’s personal computer while being at home. This increase in porn use may have also been an attempt to self-soothe, reduce stress, and deal with COVID-related anxiety and depression. The quarantine presented previously unseen levels of financial uncertainty and separation from loved ones. Porn use may be an attempt to fulfill unmet desires such as human connectedness. Lack of access to 12-step programs during the pandemic left individuals with a history of addictive behavior with limited in-person access to their support systems, which could also be a factor. Altered Body Perception The images we consume, in part, shape our standards of beauty and the concept of attractiveness. For some, the use of pornography creates dissatisfaction with the quality of their romantic relationships. Those consumers of pornography with a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 reported greater discontent in their relationships. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a dated, biased measure that doesn’t account for several factors, such as body composition, ethnicity, race, gender, and age. Despite being a flawed measure, BMI is widely used today in the medical community because it is an inexpensive and quick method for analyzing potential health status and outcomes. With pornography may come repeated exposure to body types that may meet conventional ideas of being fit or appealing. A person’s self-esteem could be injured if they compare their own bodies to these standards and feel like they are lacking. They could begin to view their bodies as outside of what is desirable. If they compare their partner’s bodies to those seen in porn, it could increase relationship dissatisfaction. This may also explain the correlation between adolescent female pornography usage and psychological distress. Sexual Satisfaction When over 6,400 young users of pornography were surveyed, several reported feeling that it had some self-perceived negative effects on their life. Among those negative effects was a general decrease in sexual satisfaction reported by 1 in 4 study subjects. Also described was the need for greater stimulation to reach orgasm, which was an unwanted effect of porn consumption. However, one study found that pornography use predicted a lower threshold for arousal and less difficulty achieving orgasm for adult women. Users who subjectively describe their use as problematic were two to four times more likely to report sexual dysfunction when compared to pornography users who did not feel that their use was problematic. Some admitted to neglecting their basic needs and responsibility in favor of porn usage. This was common among those who self-identified as having porn addiction. However, those who reported viewing pornography before the age of 12 were much more likely to feel that their use was problematic and compulsive. Sexual Aggression Users of pornography were more likely to participate in forms of aggression during their own sexual encounters. While it is not fully understood exactly how it shapes sexual behaviors, one of the few consistent research results is that sexual aggression—both perpetration and victimization—correlates with pornography usage. This may be due to the scenarios portrayed in pornography that impact a person’s idea of what a sexual encounter should be like. Some young users did describe pornography as educational. This correlates with what is known to be depicted in some sexually explicit material. While extreme violence was rare, themes of mild aggression, verbal aggression, and domination were present in up to 75% of pornographic videos. It is unclear if the trend of recent increases in intimate partner violence among adolescents correlates to greater access to media with pornographic content. Other Sexual Behaviors Pornography exposure also seems related to a more permissive attitude towards sexual encounters and casual sex and may be contributing to the trend of “hook-up” culture. What may be concerning is if young people are feeling that they are learning from watching pornography: Condom use in heterosexual intercourse portrayed was rare, with a rate of approximately 2%. However, it was more common in gay male sex at up to 64%. A Word From Verywell Although pornography use is certainly common, it is worth understanding the mental health effects that pornography use could potentially have. If you are concerned you have an unhealthy relationship with pornography, consult with a mental health professional to manage your consumption. Signs of Pornography Addiction Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Struggling with stress? Our guide offers expert advice on how to better manage stress levels. Get it FREE when you sign up for our newsletter. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 8 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Mestre-Bach G, Blycker GR, Potenza MN. Pornography use in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. J Behav Addict. 2020;9(2):181-183. doi:10.1556/2006.2020.00015 Perry SL. Is the link between pornography use and relational happiness really more about masturbation? Results from two national surveys. J Sex Res. 2020;57(1):64-76. doi:10.1080/00224499.2018.1556772 Dwulit AD, Rzymski P. 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Aggress Behav. 2019;45(6):587-597. doi:10.1002/ab.21854 Carrotte ER, Davis AC, Lim MS. Sexual behaviors and violence in pornography: systematic review and narrative synthesis of video content analyses. J Med Internet Res. 2020;22(5):e16702. doi:10.2196/16702 Speak to a Therapist for Stress Management Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.